2005 Canadian Figure Skating Championships: Pairs Highlights

Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin (QC) captured their second consecutive national title. Utako Wakamatsu and J. Sebastien Fecteau (QC) won silver, their first senior medal at nationals as a team, while Anabelle Langlois and Patrice Archetto (QC) settled for bronze. Elizabeth Putnam and Sean Wirtz (BC) came in fourth.

Short Program

Skating to Fever for their short, Marcoux and Buntin opened with side-by-side triple toeloops, but Marcoux fell. The team performed a good lasso lift with an upside down exit and executed a good double twist. Marcoux hung onto the landing the throw triple loop, and the team displayed good spins to earn a score of 60.21 for a first place finish after the short.

Wakamatsu and Fecteau opened with side-by-side triple toeloops in their routine to Swan from the Carneval des Animaux by Camille Saint-Seans, but Wakamatsu turned out the landing on hers, but had no problems on the throw triple Salchow. The team produced a good double twist as well as spins to score 59.57 for a second place finish after the short.

Skating to Romeo and Juliet, Langlois and Archetto performed a leap of faith into a throw triple Salchow, followed by side-by-side triple toeloops (Langlois doubled hers), and a double twist. The team also executed a good lasso lift, a nice back inside death spiral, and good spins to place third in the short (58.85).

Meagan Duhamel and Ryan Arnold (NO) opened their routine with a good double twist, followed by side-by-side triple Lutzes, a throw triple loop, and a good lasso lift with nice air position. The team earned a score of 51.95 for their routine to Adagio by Albinoni, placing fourth after the short.

Opening with a good double twist, Putnam and Wirtz followed up with side-by-side triple Lutzes (but Putnam doubled hers) in their routine to My Sweet and Tender Beast. The lasso lift barely got up, but the team executed a good throw triple Salchow, earning a score of 50.91 for a fifth place finish after the short.

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison stood in sixth after the short, but withdrew from the rest of the event after being named to the World Junior team. Dube is still recovering from arthroscopic surgery to her left knee.

Long Program

Marcoux and Buntin skated their long to Russian folk music, opening with a solid side-by-side triple Salchow-double toeloop sequence, followed by a triple twist. The team went on to execute a throw triple loop and a nice lasso lift with a star flip out. However, on the side-by-side triple toeloops, Marcoux popped hers to a single and Buntin landed on both feet. Despite the mistake the team landed a throw triple Salchow, but then Marcoux’s leg bumped her partner’s head during the exit of their last lift. Though not a flawless program, the team received a score of 112.46 for a first place finish in the long and overall (172.67).

Performing to music from the Last Emperor, Wakamatsu and Fecteau executed a good throw triple Salchow, followed by a triple twist, and a side-by-side triple toeloop-double toeloop sequence. The team went on to land side-by-side double Axels (Fecteau turned out his landing), two good lifts, and a throw double loop. Despite problems on the back outside death spiral, they earned a score of 106.19 for a second place finish after the long and overall (165.76).

Langlois and Archetto opened with a throw triple toeloop (Langlois put her foot down going through), followed by side-by-side triple toeloops with Langlois falling on hers. The triple twist was high but unsteady on the landing and both skaters had problems landing the triple toeloop-double Axel sequence, Langlois turned out on two feet while Archetto doubled his. The team also did a leap of faith into a throw triple Salchow, followed by a lasso lift. The two-time and reigning silver medalists earned a score of 104.04 for their routine to music from the soundtrack Un homme et Son Peche, finishing third in the long and overall (162.92).

Skating to Moonlight Sonata, Putnam and Wirtz opened with a double twist, followed by side-by-side triple Lutzes (Putnam doubled hers), a good Axel lift, and a triple Salchow-double toeloop sequence (Putnam put her hand down on the Salchow). The team also executed a throw triple loop, a throw triple Salchow, and another good lift, placing fourth in the long (94.48) and overall (145.39).

Duhamel and Arnold didn’t land the throw triple jumps and had errors on the side-by-side jumps. They placed eighth in the long (72.83), slipping from fourth to eighth overall (124.78).

Pascale Bergeron and Rob Davison (QC) moved up from seventh to fifth overall.

Skate Canada has named Marcoux/Buntin and Wakamatsu/Fecteau to the World team, while Dube/Davison and Cronin/Shales were named to the World Junior team. The third junior team is scheduled to be announced next week.